A Practical Guide To 50 States Highpointing

The fastest record of completing all 50 US States Highpoints is a little over 44 days. Yes, I agree, that’s insane AND expensive AND definitely not for everyone. So, you may ask, what is the most practical way to do highpointing? Well, there is a smart way to tackle all fifty state highpoints.

First, if you are not a rock climber, then I would suggest following a progressive order where you do easier highpoints (hikes) before attempting the harder ones. Second, if you also happen to have limited vacation days, then you also should try to attempt multiple highpoints in a single trip. You can make a loop of neighboring state highpoints and do them together.

A Practical Guide to Highpointing

Here is the climbing schedule for our first 29 high points that we have finished as of November 2017. As you can notice, most of our hikes are clustered around long weekends such as Thanksgiving, Labor Day, July 4th, and summertime in general.

October is our birthday month so we take some time off and travel. You can make your own custom schedule which fits your need. But keep in mind, weather conditions matters (especially for the taller highpoints). Some highpoints such as Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Denali has snow year round.

Also, you do not want to be hiking at a higher altitude during rainy months of June and July when thunderstorms and lightning are more common. You do not want to climb in the middle of winter as well. So, find your own balance as per your preference and risk tolerance level.

Alternative to Drive Up

You can choose to hike the below 11 highpoints instead of driving up to the summit or taking the cog rail to Mount Washinton (New Hampshire). Something to consider if you want to up your game or you are a 50 finisher and need something fun to keep climbing and highpointing.